Angel Feather
by Mist2393
Summary: Destiel Sabriel When Dean gets injured, Cas makes a decision. Unfortunately, some angels don't agree with the decision. Some drama, mostly fluff.


******This ended up being significantly longer with significantly more action and plot than I originally meant it to. I'll probably be added random one-shots to this, since one-shots help me conquer my writer's block when it attacks. This is set post-canon, with Gabriel back, and Castiel all normal and stuff, with established Destiel and Sabriel. Sorry if there's some OOC-ness, but I kind of figured that since they were in relationships they'd be a little different around each other. Anyway, enjoy, let me know what you think, you know the drill.  
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**Disclaimer: If I owned Supernatural, Gabriel would not have died, and would have been in more episodes. So clearly I don't own it.  
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**Angel Feather**

Dean and Castiel were lying in bed, the soft morning light streaming in from outside. Cas's head was resting on Dean's bare chest, and Dean's arm wrapped around Cas's back to play with his hair gently. Cas was humming a tune softly, and they were both content to simply lay there forever. Suddenly, Cas stopped humming and tensed, seemingly listening to something. After almost a full minute he slumped, heaving a sigh.

"You have to go, don't you?" Dean asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. I am needed in Heaven," responded Castiel, placing light kisses on Dean's chest. He made his way up to Dean's mouth and pulled him into a gentle, loving kiss. "I'll be back by tomorrow night." With that, Castiel was gone, and Dean pulled himself out of bed and changed out of his pajamas pants and into a green t-shirt and a pair of worn jeans. He was just finishing tying his shoes when Sam walked in with a bag of food.

"Cas had to leave again?" he guessed as he put the bag on the table.

"Yeah. He said he'll be back by tomorrow night," Dean responded. He stood and walked over; sitting down to eat the hamburger Sam had brought him. Later that night, the brothers headed out for a standard salt and burn. It should have been easy, but as Dean was digging up the grave, a strong wind blew away half of their salt circle as a sudden storm descended on the cemetery. As soon as the salt was gone, the spirit appeared next to Sam and tried to attack him with the foot-long knife it held. In an attempt to dodge, Sam ended up falling into the hole Dean was digging, landing with an "oomph" next to his brother. Before Dean could react, the spirit was between him and Sam. Dean fell back against the wall in surprise, already reaching for the sawed-off shotgun at his feet. As he reached down, the spirit lunged forward with the knife, aiming for Dean's stomach.

Sam stood up with his shotgun, shooting at the spirit with barely a thought. As it disappeared, Sam saw Dean crumple to the ground, holding his stomach with an expression of barely contained pain on his face. Sam was instantly at his side, pulling him up gently.

"Dean? Dean, are you with me?" he asked as he frantically began applying pressure to the stab wound. Dean fought to remain conscious, although the pull into oblivion seemed more and more welcoming with each passing second. Sam placed Dean on the ground gently so he could more easily attempt to bandage the wound, the tears in his eyes blurring his vision. Once he had dressed the wound as well as he could, he carried Dean out of the hole and over to the Impala, placing him gently in the back seat. He reached the nearest hospital going speeds that under different circumstances probably would've worried him, and soon Dean was being wheeled away into the ER. As soon as he was out of sight, Sam slumped into a chair and gazed upwards.

"Cas?" he whispered, knowing the angel would want to know that Dean was injured. He waited a few seconds to see if he would appear, and when he didn't Sam let out a sigh. "Come on, Cas. Dean's been…Dean's been injured. It's really bad." Sam had barely finished speaking when Castiel walked through the door and walked over to him, a worried look on his face.

"Sam, where is he?" he demanded as he came to a stop beside the younger Winchester.

"The doctors have him in surgery. They'll come tell us when we can see him," Sam told him, standing up. Castiel glanced around worriedly before turning back to Sam.

"What happened?" Castiel locked Sam's gaze with his own, his blue eyes full of fear.

"We were digging up the body when the spirit attacked us." Sam motioned for Castiel to sit down, and the two sat, though they both remained tensed on the edge of their seats. At some point in the next couple of hours, Castiel started to pace, too agitated to remain seated. He had wanted to just walk in and heal Dean, but Sam had told him that as long as there was no lasting damage, Castiel should probably just let him heal naturally. It was almost three in the morning, three hours after they had arrived, when the doctor finally came out.

"Is Dean Smith's family here?" he called. Sam practically shot out of his seat, walking over to the doctor.

"I'm Sam, Dean's brother. H-how is he?" he asked, fighting not to wring his hands.

"His stomach was punctured. We managed to close the wound, but we'll have to keep him here for a few days and keep him on an I.V. until the puncture heals," the doctor informed him.

"May we see him?" Castiel inquired from behind Sam.

"Only family members are allowed in the ICU. Are you family?" The doctor responded, switching his gaze to the angel.

"Dean and I share a profound bond," Castiel remarked, his face blank.

"Cas is Dean's fiancé," Sam lied, smiling at the doctor.

"Alright, you can go in." The doctor led them to a room in the ICU, where Dean was lying with an IV in the back of his hand, attached to a heart monitor. Sam heard an intake of breath from behind him, and he turned to see Castiel gazing at Dean with wide eyes.

"Are you okay, Cas?" Sam questioned gently.

"I am…unused to seeing Dean like this," Cas responded, walking forward to take Dean's hand gently. He gently stroked the back of Dean's hand with his thumb as Sam walked over to stand next to him.

"I know. Every time I see him in a hospital bed, it scares me," he confessed, placing a hand on Cas's shoulder. They stood like that for several minutes before the sound of wings filled the room.

"Did no one think of inviting me to the party?" a familiar voice demanded from behind them. Sam and Castiel spun around, and standing in the far corner of the room was Gabriel, his usual grin in place.

"Gabe!" Sam exclaimed, walking over and sweeping the archangel into a tight hug. They exchanged a short kiss, then Gabriel pulled away and walked over to Castiel, who had remained next to Dean's bed, still holding his hand.

"Hey, L'il bro," he greeted, grinning.

"Hello, Gabriel," responded Castiel, nodding his head in greeting. Gabriel snapped his fingers, summoning a sofa and a chair for them. He and Sam sat on the couch, and Castiel moved the chair so he could sit down and still hold Dean's hand. An hour later, Sam had fallen asleep with his head on Gabriel's lap, while Gabriel and Castiel discussed the meeting they had been in the day before. A silence fell over them, and suddenly Castiel looked nervous.

"Gabriel, I have been considering giving Dean one of my feathers," he commented, attempting to seem casual and failing. Gabriel turned to him, a knowing smirk on his face.

"Well it's about time," he said, though the look in his eyes showed that he was proud of his brother.

"So you think it would be a good idea?" Cas turned worried eyes towards Gabriel, and the archangel sighed.

"You love him, don't you?" Gabriel cocked an eyebrow, smirking again.

"Yes, of course I do."

"Then of course it's a good idea. Why wouldn't it be?" Gabriel nudged him lightly.

"What if…what if he doesn't want it?" Cas looked down at where his fingers were picking nervously at the upholstery.

"He'll take it," Sam whispered groggily from Gabriel's lap. Castiel smiled faintly as he turned back to look at Dean, who was still sleeping through the sedatives. During the rest of the day, Gabriel made sure to keep Sam fed, hydrated, and rested, while Castiel remained relatively unmoving next to Dean, never letting go of his hand. Castiel was alone with Dean when he finally woke up. Gabriel had dragged Sam away to sleep; it was past midnight, over twenty-four hours since Dean had been injured. Castiel was sitting slumped in his chair, stroking Dean's hand gently. Apart from the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor, the room was silent. Castiel watched Dean's chest rise and fall, entranced by the movement. The stillness of the moment was broken when Dean let out a moan, his eyelids fluttering open.

"Son of a bitch," he whispered, wincing. He went to sit up, but Cas put a gentle pressure on his shoulder, holding him down.

"It would be unwise of you to sit up," he remarked, smiling softly. Dean smiled in return, squeezing their intertwined hands.

"You look like crap," he finally said, concern filling his eyes.

"Recent events: the meeting in Heaven, coupled with this…have been taxing. I believe I require rest," explained Cas, blinking. "I have been told that Sam looks worse."

"Heh, Sammy always looks like crap." Dean laughed until he winced as pain flared in his abdomen. Upon seeing the pain on Dean's face, Cas reached forward and lightly stroked the side of Dean's face, letting his hand rest on the hunter's cheek. Dean leaned into the touch, his eyes closing slightly. A few minutes later, Dean had drifted off again, leaving Cas to sit back down in his chair, still holding Dean's hand. When Sam and Gabriel returned early the next morning, Castiel was still sitting in the chair, seemingly watching whatever crap television show was on at six in the morning.

"How is he?" Sam inquired quietly.

"Dean was awake briefly at midnight," Castiel responded, not looking away from the TV. Sam sat down on the couch, while Gabriel sat on the arm of Castiel's chair, munching on a chocolate bar as he examined his brother out of the corner of his eye.

"How are you?" he finally asked. Castiel turned to face him.

"I am uninjured." He tilted his head, and Gabriel sighed.

"That's not what I meant, L'il bro," he whispered, sounding almost disappointed. Cas dropped his eyes and turned away, locking his gaze on where his hand was intertwined with Dean's. When he finally spoke, it was so quietly that Gabriel barely heard him.

"I'm scared." He tightened his grip on Dean's hand, and moved closer to the sleeping hunter.

"Because of what happened in Heaven?" guessed Gabriel, his tone softening. At this, Sam leaned forward, his brow furrowed.

"What happened in Heaven?" he inquired, his tone confused.

"Some of the angels disagree with our…attachments to humans. They wish us to return to Heaven permanently, even if they must use force," Castiel informed him, finally turning away from Dean to face Sam. "If they succeed, Gabriel and I will be forced out of our vessels, and I am unsure if we will ever be able to escape." Sam gulped, glancing at Gabriel, who was looking unusually subdued. Suddenly Castiel felt Dean squeeze his hand, and he turned to face him.

"We won't let that happen. This won't be the first time we've fought angels," Dean assured him, smiling. At the sound of his voice, Sam leapt off the couch and moved to stand next to Dean's bed.

"Dean, how are you feeling?" he asked, sitting on the corner of the bed.

"Starving. Who do I have to kill to get a burger around here?" responded Dean, raising his eyebrows hopefully.

"The doctor informed us that it would be unwise for you to eat foods until your wound is healed," Castiel told him.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean swore, looking upset.

"Cheer up, Deano. This will give your heart a much needed rest," Gabriel exclaimed, joining Sam at the end of the bed.

"Was that supposed to make me feel better?" Dean demanded grumpily.

"If it will make it easier for you, I will cease eating until you are able to eat again," offered Castiel, moving to sit next to Dean on the bed.

"That's alright, Cas. You can keep eating if you want." Dean laughed weakly, reaching up with his free hand to grab Cas's lapel and pull him closer to whisper into his ear. "You know what you could do, though?"

"What, Dean?" Cas asked, turning curious eyes to the hunter.

"Get some sleep tonight. You still look like crap." Dean kept his tone light, but his eyes shone with concern as Cas pulled back. "Please?" he added when the angel looked like he was about to disagree.

"That would require going to the motel, and I find I am reluctant to leave you in your current condition," he protested, moving closer. Dean smiled at him, placing a hand on Cas's knee.

"If that's what's worrying you, then sleep here tonight. There's room for both of us on this bed," he assured him, sliding over so prove his point. Cas smiled back, leaning down to kiss Dean's forehead lightly. They spent the rest of the day watching TV and playing card games, and that night Gabriel dragged Sam to dinner while Castiel remained sitting on the side of Dean's bed, watching the television with Dean, their hands entwined on Cas's lap. The show was Dr. Sexy M.D., but neither of them was really paying attention, both just enjoying being near each other. Eventually, Cas moved so he was lying down next to Dean, his hand on Dean's chest, his head resting on Dean's arm, which wrapped around to rest on Cas's back. They were both asleep within minutes, wrapped together.

The next morning, Dean was the first to wake up, and he looked down at his angel, watching him sleep. It was so rare that he got to watch Cas sleep, and he loved doing it. Cas always looked peaceful and happy when he was asleep, more so than he ever was when he was awake. Dean reached across with his free hand and gently brushed it through Cas's hair. Just as he was pulling his hand away, Cas opened his eyes, smiling up at Dean.

"Good morning," he whispered, reaching up to peck Dean on the lips. Dean wrapped his hand around Cas's neck and pulled him in for a deeper kiss.

"I love you, Cas," he whispered against Cas's lips, his eyes open and searching. Suddenly, Cas flew backwards, eyes wide. He stared at Dean for a moment, and then left. Dean was still watching the place where Castiel had been when Sam and Gabriel entered his room a minute later.

"Where's Cas?" Sam inquired, furrowing his brow.

"I…I don't know. He just left," murmured Dean, looking confused.

"What did you do?" demanded Gabriel, going instantly into "protective-older-brother" mode.

"I didn't do anything, Gabe. He just left!" Dean exclaimed, looking defensive. He turned away from them and stared out the window, his posture defeated. Gabriel watched him for a few seconds, then turned to face Sam.

"I'll be back, Sammy," he told the taller man, pecking him on his cheek before leaving. As soon as he was gone, Sam moved to sit on the edge of Dean's bed, watching him silently.

"What happened?" he finally asked.

"I told you, Cas just left," Dean answered, his tone hard.

"Come on, Dean," Sam pressed, giving his brother a face.

"Sam! I'm not doing this 'let's talk about our feelings' thing with you! Not right now," Dean snapped, glaring back at Sam. "This morning's been enough of a chick flick already."

"Okay Dean. But you know if you need to talk, I'm here." Sam sat down on the couch, pretending to watch TV, though he was carefully examining his brother, who had huffed and was now facing out the window. There were a few seconds of silence before Dean spoke again.

"I told him I love him."

"And that's when he left?"

"That's when he looked at me like I had grown a second head. And then he left." Dean sighed as he looked away again, staring at his hands, which were clasped over his stomach. The two brothers fell silent, the only sounds in the room being the beeping of the monitors, and the soft sounds of the television.

Gabriel found Castiel in the center of an abandoned warehouse, standing in the dark. Gabriel walked over to him, sensing that something was wrong.

"L'il bro?" he called, smirking nervously. Castiel turned to face him, and suddenly Gabriel knew what was wrong. "Jimmy?"

"Yeah," the man affirmed, nodding. He reached out to grab Gabriel's arm. "Gabriel, they got Castiel. That's why he left so fast, he could sense them coming." Gabriel's eyes widened, anger flashing across his face. His wings spread out, lightning arcing across the feathers. He turned away, his wings stretching out even farther as he let out a roar that shattered the windows, shook the foundations, and had Jimmy clapping his hands over his ears.

"Gabriel!" Jimmy shouted, trying to get the archangel's attention. Glowing amber eyes turned to meet worried blue. "You can tear apart Heaven later. We have to get back to Dean and Sam." Instead of calming down like Jimmy was hoping, Gabriel reached out and touched Jimmy's forehead, sending him back to the hospital. He blinked a few times, taking in the looks Sam and Dean were giving him.

"Jimmy?" Dean finally asked, furrowing his brow.

"I'm sorry, Dean. They got Cas," Jimmy said, looking down at his feet. Dean was struggling to get up even before the man had finished speaking, and it took both Jimmy and Sam to hold him down.

"Dean, you're going to reopen your wound," Sam exclaimed when his brother wouldn't stop struggling.

"They have Cas! I can't just sit here!" Dean countered, though he stilled with a pained look on his face.

"Gabriel is looking for him as we speak. And you know there's nothing he won't do for his brother," Jimmy assured him, giving him a comforting smile. Dean sighed as he nodded and laid back down, running a hand through his hair. They waited in silence for a few hours, unsure of how long it would take for Gabriel to find his brother.

It took almost a day, but Gabriel finally managed to follow Castiel's trail into a dark corner of Heaven, where ten angels were standing guard around a cell. In front of the cell stood an angel with crimson wings that stretched out three feet on either side of her body. She was facing whoever was in the cell, speaking tauntingly. Gabriel walked forward, a smirk on his face.

"Koziel, what a pleasure to see you again," he remarked, his body tensing as the angel turned to face him.

"Gabriel. Nice of you to join us. It saves us the trouble of having to find you," she responded, summoning her angel blade. The ten angels around them followed suit, all taking a step towards Gabriel.

"Do you really want to take on an angry archangel?" he inquired, cocking an eyebrow at those around him. A few of them turned to face each other, suddenly looking doubtful. Gabriel unfurled his amber wings, allowing them to stretch to their full size of sixteen feet from tip to tip. Lightning arced across them, displaying his anger. At this, half of the angels ran. The other half approached cautiously, all ready to fight. Gabriel took one look at them, sending out a blast of light. When the light died down, they were gone, leaving no trace that they had ever been there. Only Koziel remained, and Gabriel approached her slowly, summoning his own angel blade, his eyes glittering with anger. Koziel attacked him, and blade clashed against blade. Once they started fighting, it took barely a minute for Gabriel to have the other on her knees, his blade against her throat. She glared at him before disappearing. Gabriel put his blade away and turned to the cell, where Castiel was curled in a corner, his wings curled around himself.

"Hey L'il bro," Gabriel called quietly. Castiel looked up, his eyes wide as his wings trembled faintly.

"Gabriel?" he questioned, his voice hopeful. Gabriel placed his hand against the invisible barrier that held Castiel in, and the younger angel was in his brother's arms almost instantly. Gabriel held him for a few minutes, and then he pulled away slightly.

"We have to go. Koziel could be back with reinforcements any minute now," he whispered. Castiel nodded, taking a deep breath. They disappeared with a gust of wind.

Jimmy was sitting in the chair next to Dean's bed, while Dean stared at nothing, tapping his hand against the bed worriedly. Sam had just walked out, going to get something to drink. Suddenly Jimmy stood, staring up at the ceiling.

"Close your eyes," he instructed quietly. Dean threw a hand over his eyes, clenching them shut, and turning away. There was a flash of light, and Dean felt the bed sink as Jimmy collapsed, half on the bed and half off. He turned, and instantly knew that Castiel was back. Gabriel appeared a half-second later, and he went instantly to Castiel's side. He lifted him up so he was lying on the bed next to Dean, who wrapped his arms around him gently.

"What happened?" he asked, looking over Cas to Gabriel, who had slumped down in a chair.

"He was up there for two and a half weeks. Father only knows what Koziel did to him," the archangel replied, reaching out to lightly touch Cas's hand. At that moment, Sam walked in, carrying a coffee. As soon as he saw Gabe, he put the coffee down and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a kiss.

"I was worried about you," Sam admitted as they pulled apart.

"Aw Sammy, you don't have to worry about me." Gabe leaned up to peck Sam on the lips before turning back to Cas. Dean had turned sideways and was gently stroking a hand through the angel's hair, his head buried against Cas's neck. They could tell that the older Winchester was on the verge of sleep, and so they left, Gabe flying them back to the motel room.

Cas woke up at noon the next day to find Dean sitting up next to him, watching TV while one hand idly toying with Cas's hair. The angel groaned and turned to lie on his side. He burrowed down, pressing himself against Dean's legs. Dean looked down at him, eyebrows raised and a corner of his mouth lifted in amusement.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," he greeted lightly, receiving only a grunt in response. He chuckled, moving his hand down to rub Cas's back. They sat like that for several moments before Cas pulled himself up into a sitting position, looking groggy. Dean pulled him into a kiss, and when they pulled apart Cas rested his head on Dean's shoulder.

"I love you too," he whispered, causing Dean to start in surprise.

"What?"

"The other day, when you said you loved me, I ran without having a chance to say it back. During my time in the cell in Heaven, I was worried that you would think I had rejected you and that you would not take me back." Cas looked up at Dean with such a vulnerable look on his face that Dean couldn't help but pull him into a hug, holding him tightly.

"Cas, Jimmy explained everything. And I could never turn you away, you know that," he whispered into Cas's hair, kissing the top of his head. Cas pulled away again, reaching behind himself to what Dean assumed was one of his wings. He winced slightly as he pulled, and a silky black feather appeared in his hand.

"Give me your hand," he instructed as he turned back to face Dean, who extended his right hand tentatively. Cas placed the feather in Dean's palm and placed his hand over it. He chanted something in Enochian, and they were engulfed in white light. When it faded, the angel pulled his hand away to reveal a small silver ring in the shape of a feather. Cas gently closed Dean's hand around the ring, moving his gaze to capture Dean's.

"What was that?" the Winchester inquired curiously, green eyes darting between Cas's blue eyes and the ring in his hand.

"If you accept this ring, then we will be bound. No matter where we are, we will always be connected. If I am gone, all you have to do is wish for me and I'll be pulled to your side, and I can do the same with you. It also means that you will be able to see my wings." Cas watched Dean carefully, terrified that the hunter would reject him. Dean held his gaze for a few seconds before taking the ring and sliding it onto his ring finger. Once it was in place, he leaned forward and pulled Cas into a passionate and loving kiss. There was another flash of light, and when Dean pulled away he gasped when he noticed the angel's wings, which were partially extended to hang on either side of the bed. They were jet black, with tiny silver specks that seemed to sparkle and shift every time the wings moved.

"They're beautiful," he whispered, reaching out to run his fingers through the feathers, which felt like satin against his skin. The wing twitched as Cas watched with a mixture of pride and love and relief on his face.


End file.
